Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Particular or Peculiar

N O R M A L
"What most people do when they have half a mind to."

"...if you obey my voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people." Exodus 19:05. Just one example from the Old Testament.

"...you are a holy nation, a peculiar people, you should show the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 02:09. One example of a resounding paraphrase from the Old Testament here in the new.

Who were these Hebrews? The word Hebrew means "stranger", or more precisely, "from the other side", or "not from around here." In other words, "not from this planet!"

Do you think this was just for Old Testament people?

In the New Testament we find the word "Church". Which means, "Called out." Sounds like an echo from Revelation. "Come out of her My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins."

The question is. What makes God's people so peculiar? Why should we be different? How should we be different? Who are we?

You might be surprised to learn, it's work ethic. That's right, true work ethic is what makes the difference. I need to explain of course because most people have no idea what I'm talking about.

This is because "The natural ( normal ) man receives not the things of God, they are foolishness to him, because they are spiritually discerned." I Corinthians 2:14.

What is true work ethic? Being a slave to no man and making a slave of no man. This brings to mind first and foremost the Amish, whom I have always said are a great witness in the earth. True work ethic is being a farmer, nurturing the land and the animals, and teaching your children to enjoy a good honest days work, irrespective of the pay.

I deliberately skipped over the first and most obvious reason God's people are so peculiar, mentioned here in the first quote. The Covenant, the Law, the Ten Commandments, the statutes, THE AGREEMENT. The principles God delivered through Moses to be a perpetual standard throughout all generations.

What is the opposite of God's Law (work ethic)? Lying, cheating, stealing. It's all laziness. The Commandments are about working 7 days a week. It's a 365 day a year commitment to God and family and the entire family of mankind.

Please don't get confused here. Every false religion is based on the idea that we can save ourselves by our own efforts. We are judged by our work, but we are saved by grace through faith. No one is saved by their good works because we have all fallen short. At the same time, no one is saved without them. We all have to work. There's no free ride. Without the principle of the grace of God there is a myriad of works oriented religion.

This is all just plain common sense religion. Without faith the only solution is to eat less, work harder, and cheat more. In other words, survival of the fittest.

Here is the conclusion then. "God is Love." His Law is a simple definition of what love is. True Love amounts to a lot of hard work. People mistake Love for permissiveness. If you loved me you would give me what I want when I want it. No one gets a free ticket to ride in this world. The ticket to heaven though is free. He makes up the difference, otherwise no one would qualify. At the same time work ethic is everything. Whether it's mental, physical, or spiritual.

"Behold I come quickly and my reward is with Me to give every man according to his work..." Revelation 22:12

John's vision of the judgment. "...I saw the small and great stand before God, and the books were opened, and ( they ) were judged according to their works." Revelation 20:12.

Now you know what's wrong with the world. People don't know what Love is. It's so easy to say "I Love you." This is why Jesus had to say, "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another." Even though He gave us His Law in the beginning, He was the first to really practice it.
HE DID THE WORK ! ! !

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